The Ghost Kids
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: What if Danny had a sister that was one year older than him and a ten year old sister and the three of them were used as ghost experiments by their parents and older sister, Jasmine? Rated T for abuse in the first chapter and in later chapters. Done as a request for Slenderbrine. Now back from hiatus!
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**This story was requested by Slenderbrine and will be a chapter story. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Nickelodeon. I only own Rachel and Claire for this story.**

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**The Ghost Kids**

No! Stop!" The fifteen year old girl cried out, doing her best to shield a fourteen year old boy and a ten year old girl from the cruel electricity that they were being shocked with. The oldest tried to take the brunt of it, but the other two got hit all the same.

"Subjects are showing pain, sir," said one of the men there.

"Good. Increase the voltage. Our employers want to know how much their ghostly halves can take of electricity," said the leader of the project they all like to call "The Ghost Kids".

Three children that had been rejected by their family because they weren't perfect like their oldest sister. They had been through experiments for close to three years now, after that day they were injected with something that made them what they were now.

Halfas.

Their names?

Rachel Madeline Fenton: fifteen years old.

Daniel James Fenton: fourteen years old.

And,

Claire Amelia Fenton: ten years old.

They were siblings who had been given over to do this ghastly test project of the government. As another electric surge coursed through them, they screamed in deep pain and cried the loudest cries ever heard.

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**Those poor kids. What will happen? Read on!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	2. Chapter 2 Escaping to the Ghost Zone

**Here is the next chapter featuring some of your favorite ghosts: Skulker, Clockwork, Nocturne, Pandora, and Frostbite!**

**Disclaimer: Again, I only own Rachel and Claire.**

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**Chapter 2: Escaping to the Ghost Zone**

Clockwork, Skulker, Pandora, and Frostbite were all having a meeting that Clockwork called out of urgency. The other three knew that if Clockwork called a meeting very suddenly, it was very urgent.

"Master of Time, what is it?" asked Skulker, addressing Clockwork by his title.

"Something is happening in the human world," said Clockwork. "I have been sensing ectoplasm flares for the past ten years now, but lately, they have gotten much stronger. I sense there may be a ghost being tortured in the human world."

Pandora now spoke. "But no ghost has gone to the human world in years," she said.

"Exactly," said Clockwork.

"What do you suspect, Clockwork?" asked Frostbite.

Clockwork shifted his forms from a young man to an older man. "I don't know, and that troubles me," he said.

The other three nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, a portal appeared before them and they quickly readied themselves for a fight.

What they weren't prepared for were three kids landing in front of them.

* * *

Rachel, Danny, and Claire all landed hard on a flat rock and groaned as they all painfully sat up. Rachel was first to notice their greenish surroundings. "Where are we?" she asked. "Another simulation?"

"You're going to wish it was!"

Hearing the voice of their once sister Jasmine, Rachel knew there wasn't a whole lot of time.

"Danny, take Claire and run!" she said to her brother, who gathered his younger sister in his arms.

"We're not going without you!" he said.

"Just go!" she said, giving him a look that told him to trust her. "I'll hold them off! Get Claire to safety!"

Danny didn't want to leave, but knew that Rachel knew what she was doing and so trusted her, flying off while holding his sister in his arms.

Rachel turned back to the flying RV. "And to think you were our family once!" she said.

"Our kids aren't ghosts!" said Jack Fenton.

"You made us into ghosts, you…you…MONSTERS!"

That last word was punctuated by a loud, ghostly wail that blew the RV back a few yards and Rachel took a deep breath when she realized it was a new power, a power that they would never learn about because she and her siblings weren't going back.

She heard the RV get closer again and it shot out a heat ray, headed right for Danny and Claire. Rachel saw it and flew after them.

"Danny! Claire! LOOK OUT!" She screamed, but the ray hit Danny and made him transform back to his human half. Claire unconsciously did the same when the heat ray hit her and she woke up from the pain.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Their mixed cries were all that filled Rachel's hearing as she flew down towards them as fast as she could. She managed to catch them both in time and she turned back to the flying RV.

"Leave…us…ALONE!" Again the last word was punctuated with a ghostly wail, this one being far stronger than the last as the RV was blown back into the portal and the portal closed for good. Rachel felt herself falling and she turned so that she would hit the ground first, but something caught them and they gently slid down to the rocks below. The cool surface was welcoming to the three.

Rachel crawled over to her brother and sister, who were awake and looked at her as pain made them sleepy.

"Don't worry," said Rachel, fighting the sleepy feeling herself. "I'll take care of you two, somehow. We'll make it and no one will hurt you again. I promise."

Her breathing became heavier as she felt something being placed on her head. "Sleep, child," said a voice. "You and your siblings are safe."

Rachel closed her eyes and lost consciousness to the world as she fell into a very deep sleep.

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Nocturne picked up the three sleeping children and took them to Pandora's lair, where she said the three could rest and recover.

Clockwork had gone back to his tower and viewed the timeline with the three children.

What he saw made him sick.

The parents had given up the children for their own ghost experiments ten years ago, after the youngest had been born. The oldest child, a girl named Jasmine, had sided with her parents about being an only child and having no brother or sisters.

The time window went blank and Clockwork was thankful for that.

"Those monsters," said Nocturne, who had seen what the Master of Time had seen. "They will never lay a finger on those three again."

"I agree," said Clockwork.

Pandora suddenly called for them through the ghost communications.

"Nocturne, it seems your dream helmets couldn't stop the nightmares and the three young ones have woken up," she said, just as more screams filled the air.

"Oh, fudge," said Nocturne as he headed for Pandora's lair, Clockwork and Skulker right behind him.

Meanwhile, Frostbite was trying to get the three children to calm down, but it wasn't working.

"Calm down," he said to them. "We will not hurt you."

Rachel heard his words, but her mind, as well as Danny's mind and Claire's mind were too frightened to truly calm down. When Nocturne, Pandora, Clockwork, and Skulker arrived in the room as well, the three kids who had been abused for most of their lives couldn't stop themselves from screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

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**Oh, dear. Will they be able to help those kids? And will the kids see that these ghosts won't hurt them? Stay tuned to find out.**

**(A/N: Updates may be a bit slow on this story and a few others, but don't worry, they will come here and there)**

**Please leave a review!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	3. Chapter 3 Safe?

**Okay, here is the next chapter! Thank you all for being patient. Sorry it's a little short. The next chapter will be longer and hopefully won't be long coming.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and Claire.**

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**Chapter 3: Safe?**

Rachel stood in front of Danny and Claire protectively and tensed up whenever one of the ghosts before them tried to get closer. She wasn't going to let them near her or her siblings. She saw the purple-cloaked ghost get closer and she sprung, ready to fight when something tackled her away. It was the one that had a body like a starry sky and he held her with no effort as she struggled to get free.

"Let me go!" she demanded, struggling. She then saw the huge white beast and the purple-cloaked ghost move towards Danny and Claire and Rachel struggled harder. "Leave them alone!" she growled, unable to use her powers due to the fact her body hadn't yet recovered from using her ghost wail earlier.

Danny and Claire trembled as they looked at the two ghosts standing in front of them, the boy doing his best to shield the little girl. When the beast moved a hand towards Danny, the boy flinched and looked at him with blue eyes filled with deep fear.

Rachel now stopped struggling and stayed still, making the ghost holding her loosen his grip a little and she kicked him hard, making him let her go in surprise. She then charged and tackled the white beast out of the way before moving back and standing protectively in front of her brother and sister. She may not have been able to use her powers, but she could still fight and wasn't letting these creeps come near them.

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This was getting harder than it should have been.

Clockwork saw the protectiveness in the older girl's face and stance as she guarded over the other two and wasn't budging. Even when Nocturne had grabbed her earlier, she managed to get him to let her go. He could see that their wills to live were strong, but they needed help as they were still weak from their injuries.

Suddenly, someone came forward and looked closer at the kids. It was the Ghostwriter and he thought he recognized them. "It couldn't be," he now said. "Young ones?"

* * *

Rachel saw the mysterious ghost come forward and he looked familiar, but she couldn't remember, but then she saw he held a book in his arm. She looked at it curiously as he held it out to her. It was the story called Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. She looked back up at the ghost, a confused expression on her face.

* * *

The Ghostwriter then remembered a part of the story that had not only drawn questions from the three children he now remembered, but had made them laugh too. He now spoke again.

"Pieces of eight."

The kids heads snapped up at that, recognition flashing in their eyes. "Writer?" asked Claire.

"Ghostwriter?" Rachel now asked, remembering.

He nodded. "Yes, young ones," he said with a smile. "You remember me?"

Rachel smiled. "How could we forget? You read us that story before we had managed to use our powers and free you, but we were prevented from escaping after you got away," she said.

Ghostwriter nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't get you three out of there. They put the shield up before I could," he said.

To his surprise, Claire launched herself at him and hugged him, to which he returned the hug and motioned the other two over and they showed no hesitation as they welcomed the hug from him.

Another ghost came up to them, one Danny recognized right away. "Amorpho?" he asked.

"Morpho," said Claire happily, making the faceless ghost chuckle.

"It's good to see you three finally got away," he said. He then turned to look at the others, many of who seemed astonished that these two knew and calmed the kids down with no trouble.

Ghostwriter explained. "Amorpho and I were captured a long time ago and held against our will and we met these three halfas while in captivity," he said.

"Ghostwriter always read to us at night, since we couldn't read. He helped to keep a lot of our nightmares away," said Rachel now, making the ghosts look at her. "Amorpho always made us laugh with his transformations."

Amorpho now spoke. "One night, the kids had managed to gather enough power and get us free. We were going to return the favor, but the alarms went off and the shields were slowly activating. They told us to get out of there before it was too late and we did, but vowed to figure out how to get them free," he said.

Frostbite now spoke. "That was an artificial portal that opened up when the kids fell through and were chased by those awful people," he said.

The others nodded and Ghostwriter turned to the kids. "These ghosts won't hurt you. In fact, they saved you after you had been hurt in battle," he said.

The defensiveness returned to Rachel's face and she looked uncertain. "We trust you and Amorpho," she said to him. "But how do you know we can trust them?"

Ghostwriter smiled. "I never lied to you before, have I?" he asked gently.

The kids glanced at each other before Danny and Claire nodded, but uncertainty was still present. Rachel turned to the two ghosts they were familiar with. "If you say they're trustworthy, then we're willing to give them a chance to prove it," she said.

Amorpho placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's a start," he said.

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**Bet you didn't see that coming, did you? The kids recognizing Ghostwriter and Amorpho? Well, they did.**

**Next chapter: The kids recover and spend some time with the other ghosts. (I'm going to write the ghosts with good sides and the bad sides will only come out when battling the government the kids escaped from).**

**Please leave a review!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	4. Chapter 4 We Care About You

**Here is chapter 4 of this story! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and Claire.**

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**Chapter 4: We Care About You**

After deciding to give the ghosts a fair chance, the three decided to stay at Clockwork's tower for a bit, fascinated with all the gears and clocks. They were admiring some of the unique clocks when they heard the sounds of ghosts appearing and glanced down to see two very strange ghosts with eyeballs for heads. Looking at each other with confused looks, they all floated down to better observe the new ghosts as Clockwork appeared, looking rather annoyed.

"Clockwork! The three children must be sent back!" said one of them.

"They are a danger and a threat here!" said the other.

"Observants," said Clockwork firmly. "Those children were abandoned by their family, who is looking to finish them off completely. I will not send them back to the human world."

"That is an order, Clockwork!" said the first Observant.

Rachel motioned to her siblings and they went invisible, floating silently behind the Observants and tapping their shoulders and poking them, confusing the Observants and angering them.

"Show yourself!" shouted one of them.

Unseen to them, the kids smirked. "Okay!" three voices said in unison as a bright flash filled the clock tower, temporarily blinding the Observants, who the kids then kicked out the door, literally while laughing their hardest.

Clockwork, who had been aware that they were going to prank the Observants, looked at them sternly, making the kids stop laughing and look a little worried. "We were just playing around, Clockwork," said Rachel. "It was my idea."

Before Clockwork could say anything, the communication viewer came on. "Clockwork! Your presence is required at our meeting! At once!" said another Observant before the screen went blank. The time ghost turned to the three, who now looked really ashamed that they had caused the ruckus. He sighed and pressed a button on the communicator. Nocturne's face appeared.

"Nocturne, the Observants have demanded my presence at a meeting," he said. "Can you watch over the children?"

Nocturne nodded. "I'll be right there."

And he was, in only a few moments, wishing Clockwork good luck and then teleporting the children to his lair. He saw how sad they looked.

"It's not you," he said to them reassuringly. "The Observants are just annoying. By the way, clever tricks you pulled on them."

"Clockwork didn't seem to think so," said Rachel.

Nocturne chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure he did," he said. "He loves annoying them and they can do nothing about it."

The kids still looked sad and Nocturne frowned before an idea hit him. "Oh, dear," he said seriously.

The kids' heads snapped up. "What?" Danny asked, worried.

Nocturne suddenly grinned at them. "I see three frowns here in my lair," he said, his voice having a playful tone to it. "My lairs is supposed to bring smiles. I better fix that right now."

With that said, Nocturne stretched his arms out towards them, catching the three as they shouted out in surprise, but then their shouts turned into laughter and giggles when Nocturne started tickling them, making them squirm to get away, but he only increased the pressure and speed of the tickling, the kids' laughter filling up the lair and making Nocturne chuckle as he then stopped, letting the three catch their breaths, huge smiles taking the previous frowns place while giggles still spilled from the three children he now held in his arms, rocking them as they then yawned, feeling tired.

Chuckling again, Nocturne sat down in his reclining chair, letting the three children snuggle up to him as he returned the cuddles affectionately as they fell asleep and he also fell asleep, only to wake up later when they screamed from their nightmares of their parents capturing them. It took a bit, but he finally got them calmed down and they all fell asleep again, this time with no nightmares.

* * *

In the meantime, Clockwork ran a hand over his face, switching from his adult form to his old man form, indicating his tiredness.

"I will not send the children back to that realm. They were tortured and almost killed," he said, feeling angry that the Observants were too one-sighted, pun intended, in their views.

The Observants all glared at the Master of Time. "As you are adamant that they stay, you have one week to find them a suitable home. If you do not, we will interfere and find one for them," said the head Observant, to which the others sounded their agreement.

They were then surprised when the roof of the building was torn off to reveal a very angry Pandora, who apparently had heard everything.

"You Observants stay out of this!" she roared. "You have no idea what those children have gone through! And if you even think of laying a hand upon them, you will answer to me!"

The Observants were shocked, as was Clockwork. He didn't see that coming at all.

After being dismissed, Clockwork found Pandora waiting for him and watched as she morphed down to his size to better talk to him. "One week, hmm?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, I guess the kids better choose soon."

Clockwork nodded again and looked at her. "Thank you, for defending them and me," he said. "I was surprised, to say the least."

Pandora smiled. "Those children have been through enough pain and those Observants would only cause more pain," she said. "We will have to talk to the children."

"We?" Clockwork asked, puzzled.

The warrior ghost smiled again. "You don't think I'm going to let you fight this battle alone, are you?" she asked, smiling at him.

Clockwork turned away as he felt a blush heat up his face. He took a deep breath. "Let us go and speak to the children then," he said and flew off with her following.

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**Well, the Observants want the kids gone and looks like not only Clockwork, but Pandora as well, are willing to fight for them. Will the other ghosts also be as willing to fight for the kids? Find out next time!**

**Please leave a review!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	5. Chapter 5 We'll Fight For You

**Okay, got a whole lot more ghosts showing up here. I will give them more screen time as I plan for the kids to spend time with all the ghosts mentioned so far. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and Claire and Amanda.**

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**Chapter 5: We'll Fight For You**

Rachel, Danny, and Claire were all practicing flying gracefully with not only Nocturne but Skulker too. "Don't focus so much on flying," said Skulker. "Just let it become second nature."

Rachel tried to clear her mind and imagine she was laying on the grass and she felt like she was at peace. She opened her eyes and flew quickly to Skulker, who didn't see her coming until she rammed into him because she couldn't stop in time.

"Sorry, Skulker," she said, helping him up as Nocturne chuckled.

Claire then looked to her right and saw Clockwork and Pandora. "Look! It's Clockwork and Pandora!" she called out.

Rachel and Danny turned with smiles to greet the two ghosts. Pandora returned their smiles and accepted a hug from Danny and Claire. Rachel was a little more withdrawn and didn't really like being hugged by anyone by her brother and sister. She of course trusted the Ghostwriter and Amorpho, but that was because she knew them. She now looked at Clockwork, who seemed grimmer than usual.

She floated up to him and looked down. "We got you in trouble with the Observants?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, they simply expressed a dislike for you and your siblings," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The Observants don't like halfas because they're not full ghosts," Pandora explained gently.

Rachel looked at Clockwork. "They're not banishing us, are they?" she asked fearfully.

"Not yet, but they have given us one week to find you all a suitable home or they'll take matters into their own hands," he said.

The kids all stiffened up. "No! We can't go back! They'll kill us!" said Claire, afraid.

"Humans won't accept us, Clockwork. The scientists tried it once and the humans fled from us," said Rachel.

Danny was angry. "I know we're only halfas, but still, they shouldn't judge others on appearance," he said.

Frostbite, who had been quietly standing aside, now spoke. "Well, if we can't find a good home in the human world, it will have to be one in the Ghost Zone," he said.

"But where could we go?" Rachel asked him.

"Each ghost has a unique lair," said the FarFrozen leader. "You have seen Nocturne's lair and Clockwork's, along with Pandora's. Perhaps if you spent some time with us in our lairs, it would help you decide where you wish to live."

"Would the Observants allow it?" asked Claire.

"They'd better," Pandora hissed. "Or I will deal with them personally."

The others gave her a wide berth at seeing how angry she was. Rachel then gave it some thought.

"We've spent time with Pandora, Ghostwriter, Amorpho, Nocturne, and Clockwork," she said. "Skulker, we don't know a whole lot about you, or you Frostbite."

Ember then came up. "You probably won't really like Skulker's and my place because well, it's too small for more than two people," she explained gently. "Why not stay at the place you feel most home at?"

The kids looked at her. "We've never had a home before," said Danny.

Ember mentally slapped herself for that one. "Okay, well…," she was unsure of how to word it when Walker came up, Vortex behind him.

"We've been picking up traces of real world contraband and other things in the Ghost Zone lately," he said urgently.

"The humans that are after the kids," Vortex wheezed.

Danny and Claire huddled behind Rachel, who looked afraid. Nocturne noticed. "Don't worry, we won't let them get you," he said to soothe them.

Ember then had an idea. "Where do you kids like it the most?" she asked them.

They looked unsure and Frostbite gently squeezed their shoulders in comfort and reassurance. "I believe the answer to that one would be Clockwork's Tower," he said and the others nodded.

"They have known that place since they came here," said Nocturne. "I agree with Frostbite."

They all looked at Clockwork, who realized he couldn't deny that he wanted the kids to stay and he wanted to keep them safe, so he nodded. "You three can stay with me, if you want," he said, hating the fact that the kids had to choose so soon, but with their human parents turned enemies, they wouldn't be safe if they traveled around all the time. Clockwork decided that once the kids were settled, if he needed someone to watch over them, he would ask one of the ghosts now present.

Rachel, Danny, and Claire looked at each other and nodded at Clockwork, agreeing to stay with him.

Walker now spoke. "While I'm not a fan of rule breakers, considering what you've been through, I'll make an exception for you three," he said. "But aliases may be wise to do."

"Walker is right," said Skulker. "That way, those humans can't find you."

The three kids looked at each other and then back at the ghosts. "Can we select our own?" she asked quietly and Walker nodded.

Rachel turned to Danny and Claire and they nodded, remembering names that they had selected long ago if they ever got free. It also helped them to make it through the long days.

"Samuraia," said Rachel. "Just like the fighters in Japan. They were called samurai."

"Uh, honey," said Pandora. "How did you know what the warriors in Japan are called?"

Rachel understood the question. "There was one scientist, a lady. She was the one who gave us the food that the other scientists made us eat, but she was the nicest to us. She would talk to us and would tell us stories. She then suggested a television be brought in and the other scientists didn't really care, but she used to put it on what she called 'channels' and each one was different. One was about the history of Japan," she said. "That was before she got fired for showing us sympathy. We haven't seen her since."

"I remember her," said Danny. "Her name was Amanda, right?"

Rachel nodded. "I remember her, too," said Claire. "I hope she's still alive."

"I hope so, too," said Rachel. "Well, Danny. Claire, are you guys going to tell the ghosts your aliases you came up with?"

Danny nodded. "Phantom," he said, "since I'm now that."

Claire smiled. "Vela," she said.

Clockwork smiled. "Samuraia, Phantom, and Vela," he said. "Welcome to your new home, the Ghost Zone."

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**Well, the kids are going to stay with Clockwork and they have chosen names. I kept the Phantom for Danny since it just fits him better.**

**Samuraia is a play on the word 'samurai'. I added the 'a' to make it sound more girly.**

**Vela is Spanish for "Candle". The reason I chose this name for Claire is because although the youngest, she can cheer anyone up and has a bright spirit and where a candle burns bright for comfort and can bring joy, Claire does the same.**

**Please leave a review!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	6. Chapter 6 Settling and Learning

**Here is the next chapter of this exciting story!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and Claire.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Settling and Learning**

After the kids announced their new names, they headed back with Clockwork to his tower and selected their rooms. Pandora had some paint left over from the time she painted her home and the colors were surprisingly the ones that the kids all liked. Rachel chose a rainbow purple for her room with some sky blue to blend with it. Danny chose dark blue with a soft green that he found appealing, and Claire chose bright green with a light purple that she liked. The kids thanked Pandora and the leftover paint was used up very quickly as some of the other ghosts helped the kids paint the rooms. After that, the other ghosts went to tend their duties, but Nocturne and Ghostwriter stayed to visit for a little bit.

As all three ghosts sat down, the kids chose who to sit with. Claire was happy to sit in Ghostwriter's lap, Danny opted to sit in Clockwork's lap, and Rachel chose to sit in Nocturne's lap. The three ghosts didn't mind and smiled as the kids settled down.

"Clockwork, I've been wondering," said Ghostwriter. "Would you be willing to let me teach the children to read and write?"

The three halfas looked at Ghostwriter and then looked at Clockwork hopefully, silently begging he'd say yes. The Time Ghost smiled at them. "You want Ghostwriter to teach you?" he asked, already knowing the answer before they nodded eagerly. He then nodded his consent at Ghostwriter. "That would be fine, my friend," he said.

Rachel smiled when she saw how happy her brother and sister were at the idea of learning to be literate, but she then frowned, worried that she may not be so good at it, although she desperately wanted to read and write too. She let out a quiet sigh that Nocturne heard and he saw she was worried. He reached a gentle hand towards her and began stroking her head in a gentle, calming manner, the lulling stroking actually making her fall asleep. And she wasn't the only one. Claire had also fallen asleep in Ghostwriter's lap and Danny wasn't that far behind his siblings. Nocturne chuckled.

"It seems today's excitement has worn out your little ones, Clockwork," said the ghost of sleep, making the other two look down at the children and Clockwork saw Danny's eyes close completely as he finally fell asleep.

"Well, let's get them off to bed," said Clockwork. "They'll need their rest in order to begin their schooling tomorrow."

"Oh, yes," said Ghostwriter, picking Claire up and carrying her to her room to tuck her in her bed. "Just bring them to my lair when they're ready."

Nodding, Clockwork carried Danny and Nocturne carried Rachel to the children's respective rooms and tucked them in their beds, leaving the three children to peacefully dream.

* * *

The next morning, when the kids woke up, they went downstairs and saw Clockwork had made them breakfast. "Good morning, little ones," he said, smiling. "Eat up. Ghostwriter is waiting for us."

The three children ate quickly and followed Clockwork to the Ghostwriter's lair and the ghost welcomed them all. "Come in, young ones. It's time for your first lesson in reading and writing," he said.

Clockwork looked at the children. "Behave yourselves, little ones," he said. "Ghostwriter will bring you back to the tower when your lessons are completed."

To Clockwork's surprise, Claire flew at him and hugged him. "We'll be good, Daddy. Love you!" she said and quickly flew inside the Ghostwriter's lair.

Danny came up to Clockwork and also gave him a hug. "Thanks, Dad, we'll behave ourselves," he said and also went inside.

Rachel turned to the Time Ghost. "Don't worry, Clockwork, I'll help Ghostwriter out with my brother and sister," she promised and also went inside. The two ghosts were a little surprised she didn't call Clockwork 'Dad', but both understood that she was no doubt more hesitant than her siblings.

"I'm sure she'll come around, Clockwork," said Ghostwriter. "Remember, she took the brunt of many of the tests as she tried to protect Danny and Claire."

"I remember," Clockwork sighed. "Those children have suffered enough."

Ghostwriter nodded. "I'm sure they'll be alright after a bit," he said. "Well, I better get inside and start the lesson."

"Yes, I shouldn't keep you," said the ghost of time. "I'll see you later."

With that, Clockwork teleported away and Ghostwriter started the lesson.

Claire, being younger, caught on with almost no trouble. Danny struggled a little, but was able to catch on after a bit, but Rachel struggled the worst. She tried to give it all she had, but she was getting a headache from trying so hard. She eventually got most of the lesson by the time they finished up a few hours later. Ghostwriter noticed Rachel's downcast expression and her frustration and spoke to her.

"Oh, Rachel, you'll get it soon," he said. "It's just going to take a little practice."

Rachel sighed. "But I feel so dumb that I can't catch on like Danny and Claire have," she said.

The writer placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Just be patient and give it some time," he said. "If you want, I suggest studying a little at the tower. That might help you."

Rachel nodded, deciding to take the Ghostwriter's advice. The three followed their teacher back to the tower and Claire and Danny immediately told Clockwork how the lesson went and how they could read a little. Rachel didn't join them, but went off to her room, something Clockwork noticed and gave Ghostwriter a questioning look and noticed how the writer looked a bit saddened and came closer as Danny and Claire ran off to their rooms to study a little bit and then play.

"Rachel struggled a lot today," he said. "She had more difficulty than her siblings did and feels depressed about it."

Clockwork understood and was saddened that his oldest child was struggling. Even though she hadn't yet acknowledged him as her father yet, he considered all three to be his children. "I'll go talk to her," he said to his friend. "She'll need encouragement."

Ghostwriter nodded. "Yes, please do so," he said. "I do dislike seeing her struggle to grasp the concepts. I can see she wants to learn, but her mind is struggling and that frustrates her."

The Time Ghost nodded. "Thank you, my friend," he said and moved off to go find his oldest daughter.

* * *

Rachel was in her room, taking Ghostwriter's advice about studying and was going back over what the writer had taught them today, but her headache rapidly returned and she lay her head down for a moment, tears beginning to form as the then stood up and lay down on her bed, feeling so dumb that she couldn't learn as fast as her siblings. She heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Clockwork," came her answer.

"Come in," Rachel sighed and he did, seeing her saddened expression. He moved towards her and sat on her bed beside her prone form, rubbing her back gently.

"Ghostwriter told me what happened," he said. "I'm sure you'll catch on soon."

"But why do I have to struggle and Danny and Claire don't?" she asked.

Ah, Clockwork now saw the problem. Because her siblings were learning a little faster than she was, she felt inadequate. "Everyone learns differently, Rachel," he said. "That is what makes us unique."

She looked at him puzzled. "How can me struggling and learning slowly make me unique?" she asked, not understanding.

Clockwork chuckled gently. "If everyone learned the same way, that would make life a bit boring, no?" he asked.

That made some sense, but it didn't lift her mood much. Clockwork then had an idea to get her to stop moping. "Rachel, you need to smile," he said.

She shook her head. "I'm too tired to smile," she said quietly, closing her eyes. If she had looked up at Clockwork then, she would have seen the grin on his face as he suddenly moved his hands to her sides and started tickling her.

Rachel jumped, startled, but then was laughing as the Time Ghost tickled her sides and even tickled her stomach as she rolled around to try and escape, but she couldn't as Clockwork then lifted up her shirt a little and blew a raspberry into her ticklish stomach, making her giggle and laugh even harder.

"Cootchie cootchie coo! Who's my ticklish little girl?" Clockwork teased her as he continued to tickle her and blow raspberries into her stomach.

"Okay! OKAY!" she giggled out. "PLEASE! THAT TICKLES!"

"It's supposed to," he said somewhat bluntly, but was smiling as he stopped his tickle torture, seeing her giggling happily. "Feel better, Rachel?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she said and what she did next surprised the Time Ghost.

She hugged him.

Smiling, he returned her hug, rubbing her back in a fatherly manner. She smiled and snuggled closer to him. "Love you, Dad," she said, again surprising Clockwork, who smiled again and placed a fatherly kiss on his oldest child's forehead.

"I love you too, my daughter," he said and heard Danny and Claire come in. He motioned them to join in the hug and they did happily.

Clockwork was happy that the children accepted him as a father and he vowed to always keep them safe.

Outside, unknown to the happy father and his children, Pandora was watching and a few tears escaped her eyes. She secretly loved Clockwork, but was a bit afraid to tell him. But she did hope, as she flew back to her home, that someday, she would be included in the family as well.

* * *

**Ooooooh! Pandora's in love! Will she admit it to Clockwork later on? How will things go for the kids? Stay tuned!**

**(The next chapter for this story will come in July as I'll be working on another project that will require my time and I won't be able to work on my stories much during that time. I'll still be somewhat active, just not updating or posting any stories until July. Thank you all for your patience.)**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	7. Chapter 7 Evil Plotting

**I've returned! Yay! Here is the next chapter of The Ghost Kids!**

**Tiger-girl-14: Danny will be a hero with his siblings.**

**Red-Phonix14: Thank you.**

**jim89: Thank you.**

**DPfangirl: For the first two questions, those will be revealed in time. As for the other questions: Yes, Skulker and Ember are married in this story, I'm not sure if I will have Vlad appear or not, and as for the Fentons, well, they'll get what coming to them.**

**Liliana Dragonshard: Yes, that would be a riot. :)**

**Disclaimer I only own Rachel and Claire.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Evil Plotting**

Jack and Maddie Fenton were testing a new weapon they had developed for catching ghosts. So far, no ghosts had come through their portal, but that would change with the newer weapons they were making.

"We'll get those Ghost Kids back for our employers," said Maddie. "We'll go to every home and search for them."

"Great idea, Maddie," said Jack with an evil smile.

"Mom. Dad, check out my new weapon," said Jasmine as she held up a large sword she had designed herself. "The ghosts will die instantly with my new anti-ghost sword."

"Well done, Princess," said Jack.

A knock was at the door and an agent stepped in. "Is everything ready?" he asked.

Maddie gave him a sweet smile. "The weapons are almost done," she said. "Do you have a plan?"

The man nodded. "We go in and search for any ghost portals and then we go in and get the kids. They won't get away again."

The four people smiled evilly as they went back to their plans, not even detecting a ghost watching them with horror.

_I must warn my partner,_ he thought to himself and quickly moved away to where his partners were waiting for him.

"What are the Fenton's up to?" a voice asked him.

"They want the kids," he answered.

Their other partner looked grim. "We can't let that happen," he said. "We have to warn Clockwork. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing." With that, the three headed off to warn the Master of Time, hoping it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

**Hmm, who were those three? Guess we'll have to see.**

**Please leave a review!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	8. Chapter 8 Struggling and Comfort

**Here's another chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and Claire.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Struggling and Comfort**

Rachel sighed as she struggled with the lesson again. She hadn't been making too much progress and it was starting to really upset her. She did try, but would get lost so easily. Danny and Claire tried to cheer her up, but it didn't help much.

Finally, the lesson was over and Rachel was almost in tears. Why couldn't she get it? She was getting a headache from trying so hard. Ghostwriter came up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you're doing your best and trying hard, Rachel," he said.

"Then why do I feel like I'm getting nowhere?" she asked, now very close to tears.

He wished he knew as he didn't like seeing her struggle so much. "Rachel, why don't you take a break from studying tonight? We'll work on some more tomorrow," he said.

Sadly, she nodded and headed out after her siblings, her tears ready to fall. She was about ready to give up. Why should she keep trying when she wasn't making any progress? Her tears now fell as she cried and didn't watch where she was flying and bumped into something while her eyes were closed and she stopped and looked to see that she was outside Nocturne's lair. Not wanting to head home right away, she went up and knocked, hoping Nocturne was home.

The door opened and the dream ghost stood there and saw Rachel crying and looking up at him. With a nod, he gestured her to come in and he led her to the living room where he sat down and held her in his lap.

That was when the dam broke.

Rachel began to cry harder and hugged Nocturne hard, hoping for comfort, which immediately came as the dream ghost hugged her, rubbing her back as she cried her hardest and he didn't tell her to stop crying. He knew she was upset and crying was the only way to get it out of her system.

After about half an hour, Rachel stopped crying and let out an exhausted sigh. Nocturne continued to rub her back, offering unspoken comfort which she grasped at.

"Oh, little one," he said softly. "I know it's hard, but you shouldn't give up."

"Why?" she asked. "I can't learn. I've tried."

Nocturne hummed gently. "You'll get it soon, little one. Just be patient. You can already read a little, which is a good start," he said.

"How is that a good start?" she asked.

He looked down at her, still rubbing her back. "You couldn't read at all before and now you can read a little, so there is some progress," he said gently.

"I wish it wasn't so hard," Rachel said and leaned her head on Nocturne's shoulder, falling asleep as her crying earlier had made her very tired. Nocturne carried her to Clockwork's tower where the Time Ghost greeted him and gently took his daughter in his arms.

"I'm very concerned about her, Nocturne," he said after putting his eldest daughter to bed while the other two did their homework. "She is about ready to give up."

Nocturne nodded. "I am also worried," he said. "Perhaps a tutor might be wise."

Clockwork nodded. "But who?" he asked.

Nocturne gave it some thought and had an idea. "What about Frostbite?" he asked. "The Far Frozen have boasted to have a great school and it has exceeded its reputation and the children don't judge others. What if Rachel went there for tutoring? Frostbite himself teaches reading."

Clockwork gave it some thought. That would probably help Rachel, at least he hoped so. The communications then rang and he answered it, finding Ghostwriter on the other end.

"Oh, Clockwork," he said. "I was thinking about mentioning a tutor for Rachel and remembered that the Far Frozen have their outstanding school and Frostbite himself teaches reading and was thinking that it might be a good opportunity for Rachel to perhaps be able to catch on reading. What do you think?"

Clockwork smiled. "Nocturne just mentioned that to me," he said. "Do you think it would be wise, Ghostwriter?"

"Yes, I believe it would be," said the book-writing ghost.

Clockwork nodded. "I will contact Frostbite and take Rachel over there in the morning," he said. "Hopefully, his program will help her, as I dislike seeing my eldest struggle so much."

The other two agreed and Clockwork at once made preparations for the morning. He really hoped this would help Rachel and that she'd be willing to learn from Frostbite.

It would benefit her in the long run, he hoped.

* * *

**Please leave a review!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


	9. Chapter 9 A New Teacher

**New Chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and Claire.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: A New Teacher**

The next morning, Clockwork told Danny and Claire that Rachel would be in the Far Frozen being tutored by Frostbite for a while. They looked a bit worried.

"Dad, why is she struggling so much?" asked Claire.

"I don't know, Claire," he said. "But Frostbite has a good program for those struggling to read. I hope Rachel will be willing to learn from him."

"I think she will," said Danny. "She really does want to learn."

Nodding, Clockwork gently sent them off to the Ghostwriter's lair after they hugged him and promised to be back after lessons. With that, he went to go get Rachel up, since he had let her sleep in.

Rachel woke up and was groggily moving around, but woke up after eating some breakfast. She then noticed the time.

"Oh, no! I have to hurry!" she said and grabbed her backpack and was about to fly out the door when Clockwork knocked on the door and she answered it.

"Calm down, Rachel," he said and she did. "We are going to the Far Frozen today."

"But, what about lessons?" she asked, not wanting to miss that.

He chuckled. "A good friend of mine has agreed to tutor you so that you can catch up with your siblings," he said.

Although she was unsure, she knew her father wouldn't lie to her and so followed him to the Far Frozen. Frostbite was waiting for them when they arrived at the village.

"Clockwork! Samuraia! Welcome!" said Frostbite.

Rachel smiled. Frostbite could always make someone smile. Clockwork then turned to her.

"Rachel, Frostbite is a teacher at the Far Frozen school and tutors those who struggle with subjects like reading," he said. "He will be your teacher for a bit."

Rachel looked at her father. "Really?" she asked, her hope small, but she still had it.

Clockwork nodded. "Behave yourself, Samuraia," he said. "I will come get you later."

"Okay, Dad," she said and hugged him and he hugged her back.

Frostbite led Rachel to a classroom and they started on the lesson. She really did try to learn to read and made a little more progress that day. Frostbite was very pleased.

"You are doing well," he said to her. "These things do take time, but you have made some progress today."

Rachel felt a little better, but was still sad that she wasn't able to read much. "Do you think I'll catch on soon?" she asked him.

He smiled. "I'm sure you will," he said as Clockwork then appeared to take her home and she grabbed her homework as Clockwork spoke to Frostbite and got an update on Rachel's learning and was pleased that she had made some more progress. They then headed home and Rachel got on her homework at once as Clockwork helped her.

"I'm pleased you are doing better, Rachel," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," she said. "Maybe I will catch on soon."

Clockwork smiled, pleased that not only was Rachel doing better, but that her hope was being restored with these helpful lessons.

* * *

**Rachel's got a new teacher. Hopefully, she'll do alright and be able to catch on to reading.**

**Whew! Three chapters in a row! I figured you guys would like it considering how long I was gone for. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


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